ASHEVILLE WORLD OF RADIO EXHIBIT:
A small museum in the lobby of a real radio station in the heart of downtown Asheville.
Radio and Broadcast History Exhibition at WPVM Studios Asheville. (This tour can be seen and questions asked and answered in under an hour.)WPVM, Asheville’s oldest community radio station, presents “A World of Radio”—a museum-quality exhibition of vintage radios and radio memorabilia. Adding to its appeal, the exhibit is located in one of downtown Asheville’s architecturally significant Public Service buildings—and one of its first skyscrapers—inside the station’s broadcast studio above charming Wall Street.
Members of the public can reserve a spot for individual or small-group tours for a delightful “back to the future” experience to learn about the medium that changed the world, the medium described as “the theater of the mind,” as radio pioneer and entertainer Steve Allen called it. The collection of artifacts in WPVM’s exhibition—carefully researched and artfully curated—connects visitors through an entertaining chronological progression of radio technology right into the modern era of digital broadcasting on the airwaves and the Internet.
Exhibition guests will have the unique opportunity to take a walk through history, guided by stories and original audio recordings of our heritage—all heard through a retro-fitted Art Deco 1938 Spartan radio. From yodeling folk singer Jimmie Rodgers to President Franklin Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” to episodes of “Gun Smoke,” they’ll hear clips of significant sports milestones, news reports, entertainment events, and music—including regional mountain music—from WPVM’s extensive vintage collection.
This tour can be seen and questions asked and answered in under an hour.